November 2011
6 posts
Gifts of the Elder Gods →
A duellist in a dying city facing a weapon of fiery death, not to mention temptation.
Two fur trappers hunted by a spirit of hate that feeds on the very fear it engenders.
An arrogant…
Gifts of the Elder Gods →
Cross-posted from Sword’s Edge Publishing:
A duellist in a dying city facing a weapon of fiery death, not to mention temptation.
Two fur trappers hunted by a spirit of hate that feeds…
Thinking Of The Children →
Excuse me while I get personal for a moment (in case you haven’t noticed, this blog is moving away from its e-zine roots to truly become my blog). I’m part of a single income family. I am lucky…
History: Not Just for Breakfast Any More →
I love history. There are some specific places and periods that have my particular devotion: Rome during the Principate, Scotland during the Wars of Independence, Korea during Koryo, and the…
Why Are You Writing RPGs? →
As opposed to firing them off? Oh, the other kind of RPGs.
A lot of my creative energies recently have been focused on RPGs rather than writing fiction. I’ve been asked why. It’s not something for…
Apropos of Nothing: Smoke Got In My . . . Nose →
I have a regular meeting every Tuesday morning which is in a building about 30 minutes from where I work. I walk there, even in the winter. There’s a great fair trade coffee place along the way that…
Episode 65: Mecha →
WARNING: Instances of very strong language may offend some listeners.
Chris and Rob are drinking Innis & Gunn Rum Cask.
John is drinking Maker’s Mark Kentucky Bourbon.
Our guest,…
October 2011
4 posts
Sword Noir: Character Sheet →
There is a character sheet included with Sword Noir: a Role-playing Game of Hardboiled Sword & Sorcery, but here is one that is designed as a form and so can be filled in. It doesn’t do anything…
Episode 64: Howard Andrew Jones →
WARNING: Instances of very strong language may offend some listeners.
Episode 64: Howard Andrew Jones
* Did he say coke? * John’s drinking Rolling Rock * Fraser’s imbibing Amsterdam …
Unscheduled Strange →
Word on the street is that we can expect a Doctor Strange movie in the near future (as in 2012/13). That’s from Marvel itself. No other information—no director, star, budget, or actual…
May 2011
6 posts
Dogs is Out, Kheufer is In →
The adventure for Sword Noir on which I have been working under the title Scroll Dogs is now titled the Kheufer Scrolls. The adventure is done, maps are done, and I thus I thought the manuscript…
“A Pound of Dead Flesh” in Black Gate →
Holy *expletive deleted* I’m in Black Gate!
Listen, there are very few professional venues for heroic fiction, let alone something like Sword Noir fiction, so when John O’Neill—Black…
Gutting Mooks in Sword Noir →
Eloy Cintron had a few questions about the combat system in Sword Noir, and he agreed to allow me to share them.
If you haven’t purchased your copy of Sword Noir: A Role-playing Game of…
Episode 61 - Rewards →
WARNING: Instances of very strong language may offend some listeners.
Episode 61: Rewards
Things of Which We Speak * Sword Noir, a Role-Playing Game of Hardboiled Sword & Sorcery.
Where Be Dragons? Beasties and Sword Noir →
Curt Meyer had an interesting comment about Sword Noir that I wanted to answer here.
Curt said: “My only complaint is no bestiary. Conan and the Grey Mouser both battle weird creatures…
Monthly Sales for April →
Wow, what a month. We added Sword Noir on 3 April and we’ve sold 106 copies by 30 April. Considering that makes it our third highest selling product (not counting free stuff), that’s a heck of a…
April 2011
5 posts
Updated Multiple Opponents Rules – An Example →
I previously put up a combat example to help give an idea of Sword Noir’s combat system. Since updating the Multiple Opponents rules, I wanted to re-do the example. Nothing would have…
Financing Sword Noir →
I mentioned on Twitter that I’d do a post about how Sword Noir was financed, and this is that post. If the business end of the RPG industry doesn’t interest you, move along. Nothing to see…
Updating Sword Noir →
It is very educational releasing a game system. I have never done so before. Sword Noir was the first system I ever released. It was play-tested, and the editor—Chris Groff from the…
Improving Sword Noir →
I got a two-star review for Sword Noir over at RPG Now/Drive-thru RPG which brought up some very salient points. It’s unfortunate that Sword Noir didn’t work for this individual, and with the…
Dead Tired Wood →
Yet another night I’m up way past my bedtime, and I have Deadwood to blame.
I’ve been hearing great things about this series … miniseries? Maxiseries? What does one call it? In any…
February 2011
9 posts
For Simple Coin: Four Tales of Sword Noir →
Calum scratched at his stubbled cheek. Mandas wasn’t his friend. The Blackhands certainly weren’t his friends. Why hire him? “What are you offering?”
“I need something collected. I figured you’d…
Sword Noir Sneak Peek: Qualities →
This is your first sneak peek at the actual rules in Sword Noir: an RPG of Hardboiled Sword & Sorcery. That’s not counting the development of the game at the Accidental Survivors forums. I mean,…
What the Palicki is Going On? →
I saw the article about an unsold pilot for Lost in Space directed by John Woo, so I had to go check it out. Much like Blackjack (for the love of sanity, won’t somebody please think of the…
Fear of its Publishing →
Another story is going in the “wait for an anthology?” bin. I’ve gotten some very nice comments and helpful advice from editors regarding “Fear of its Prey,” my only foray into horror/dark fantasy,…
Chainmail Bikini You Say? →
Okay, so remember when Robert Rodriquez was going to direct Rose McGowan as Red Sonja? Yeah, that’s not going to happen. What is going to happen is apparently Simon West directing Red Sonja….
A Killer Poster →
Well, see the poster for the new adaptation of the Killer. The poster has been revealed. Certainly simpled than most Hong Kong action movie posters from the late 80s.
The article at…
Ursa? Major! →
What character could Alice Eve, Diane Krueger and Rosamund Pike be vying for in the new Superman movie? Well, apparently—and, of course, it’s all just rumours—it ain’t Lois Lane, though she…
Adaptive Killing →
Some people simply say they are fans of John Woo. I can’t say that, because I have to admit that I am not. I am a fan of John Woo’s Hong Kong heroic bloodshed movies, his pre-Windtalkers…
Episode 57: Villains You Love and Hate →
WARNING: Instances of very strong language may offend some listeners. Episode 57: Villains You Love and Hate Things of Which We Speak * Old School Hack * Viking Campaign…
January 2011
5 posts
Losing the Golden Panda →
If one has to lose, this is a race in which losing doesn’t feel so bad.
Even by trying to rig the system by sending in two stories (what can I say? I had to lines of inspiration and followed them…
Golden Panda: Denied! →
This is a double of a post over at Sword’s Edge. If you’ve read one, you’ve read them both!
If one has to lose, this is a race in which losing doesn’t feel so bad.
Even by trying to rig the…
Panther Set to Pounce →
Marvel seems to be moving forward with a Black Panther movie. At least, they’ve gone so far as to hire a screenwriter. Granted, that’s probably the cheapest of the investments Marvel will…
Hackin’ It Old School →
I was able to run a two session game of Old School Hack using the “play test rules.” Those have since been supplanted by the Basic Rules (beta). Having looked those over, I didn’t see any obvious…
December’s Sales →
Late again, but if you’ve seen the last couple of posts, you’ll realize I was a little bit busy.
It will be interesting to see how the numbers change in the next few months. Not only will new…
December 2010
2 posts
Disney and Marvel-ous TV →
It’s old news now, but none the less interesting: Disney has talked about creating three TV series based on Marvel properties: the Hulk, Cloak & Dagger, and either the Punisher or the…
Bleached Hobbit →
The Hobbit is on track for production. Yay! Sir Ian McKellan has signed on. Yay! It’s going to be shot in digital on kick-ass new cameras. Yay! It’s going to be in 3D. Er … okay.
I’m so…
November 2010
14 posts
In Which I Empathize with my Four Year-Old
The names of all parties have been changed, just because this is out in the open on the internet.
I lay awake last night thinking about my poor little daughter and the tribulations of junior kindergarten. My wife stays home and takes care of the kids, meaning my Princess didn’t go to day care. Earlier this year, she attended half-days for a couple of months. We wanted to prepare her for school....
In Which I Muse on Format →
I love hardcover books. I love them because they look good displayed. Now it used to be that most of my reading was done at home or—when I lived in Korea—in my office. In such a situation, a…
Bones for Batman →
Okay, this is totally just a rumour, and one that I actually have a hard time believing, but it is so infused with awesome I just had to share.
Apparently, after the release of the Dark…
September and October Sales and Biz Update →
I haven’t posted sales updates in the last couple of months, likely to avoid reviewing our depressingly low sales. Now, there thing is, I haven’t done shit to try to move anything in the last couple…
Which Warrior’s Way? →
I like me some martial arts in my movies. That doesn’t mean I inordinately love martial arts movies, but if you give me some awesome fight scenes, I’ll forgive a lot (though not anything, as…
Digging the Old School Hack →
Just wanted to do a very quick post then get back to doing abso-fucking-lutely nothing.
Go check out Old School Hack. Corey Reid (he of the awesome Dino Pirates of Ninja Island) pointed the way,…
Falling for Immortals →
Some of you out there might know of the film-maker Tarsem Singh, also known simply as Tarsem. While I never did see the Cell, I was mesmerized by the Fall … that is until my wife asked…
Rebooting: the Casting →
A little bit of casting news for Friday.
There are reports floating around out there—or are they rumours?—that Martin Sheen and Sally Field have been cast in the Spider-man reboot as—who…
Zack Snyder Saturday →
I’m not the biggest Zack Snyder fan on the planet, but I enjoyed 300 and thought the Watchmen was a good but far from perfect product. I have to admit, though, to being jazzed by what I’ve…
Bond Bouncing Back? →
With the MGM having filed for bankruptcy, projects can begin production (or not, I really have no fucking clue about financial stuff), and it seems that there is some hope that the next Bond…
Paul Anderson Ass Rapes the Three Musketeers →
Fuck. You. Paul Anderson.
Fuck.
You.
So, we have a synopsis for the new Three Musketeers movie. Up until now, I heard that it was going to be in 3D, which did not fill me with joy, but…
Batman Dodges Dimensionalization →
So Christopher Nolan says no 3D for the next Batman movie, given that he wants it to be faithful to what had come before.
Thank you, sir.
I almost want to tack on a “for now,” given that I…
The Hobbit Prison Rapes New Zealand →
Hey, I think a lot of us wanted to see the Hobbit filmed in New Zealand. I mean, the original films were done there, and the place certainly stood in for Middle-Earth quiet well. I can…